Pink & Green Are Always In

Still working on getting over my Sewing Snobbery about thinking that simple construction is "below me."  Listen, Self--simple construction means fast, finished, and, for the most part, really really forgiving in fit.  Also, inasmuch as I barely pay attention to trendy style lines, it does certainly look like a lot of the popular indie patterns are aggressively simple, and I can find similar shapes in the stash of thrifted patterns I have (albeit, I'm sure, without the expert drafting that so often seems to go with reviews of the indie patterns.)

Which also means I have a lot of new (to me) patterns to try out, which means everything is going to be "wearable muslin" for a while.  I have downsized my fabric stash a bit, and I still have a lot of Precious pieces that I don't want to use unless I know exactly what I'm doing with them.  But, there are also the odd little bits that came from thrift store grab bags or that one DollPerson's destash--nice fabric, but not things that I feel like I have to "live up to."  You know what I mean, right?

So that's how I ended up using this pattern, Butterick 6470 from 1999, for the first time

to make this shirt

This is longer than the shirt view as given--since it's all the same pattern as the dress, that was easy enough to manage.  I didn't have enough of the shell fabric to make the sleeves, so I created facings for the sleeves by cutting around the armscyes and using the neck facings to make a good width.

I am finally--after years of ignoring the step in pattern directions--edge stitching the facing to the seam allowance.  I honestly had no idea how much that helped keep the facings at least somewhat where they're supposed to be.  I also tack them at the shoulder and side seams.  They still want to flip out when being put on, but not terribly unruly...ly.

I also borrowed the lower edge from Simplicity 8523 from 1998 (currently reincarnated as Simplicity 8061, and seeing how they reused and altered the original illustration is amusing) to make the curve correct and so that I wouldn't be guessing about the vent depth

And of course I made a little effort to match the stripes at the side seams

A little.

Since I am still not entirely sold on the whole "size I am now" + "loose fitting silhouette" thing, I eyed this with suspicion.

Then I tried it on.

(I chose a good picture of the shirt, not of...uh...me)

Y'know what?  It'll work.